Happy New Year!

It's a new year! That means making New Year's resolutions--at least some people still do that. I try, but never seem to be able to follow through for very long. Perhaps it is because the resolutions I seem to make are too specific, or too vague. But the new year does provide a feeling of a fresh start even though it is still the middle of the school year.


What will you do to make your classroom "new", fresh, or exciting during the long winter months ahead? Will you try out a new piece of technology or software program?

Check out these list of educational apps:

• 52 of the Best Apps for Your Classroom in 2015
• 20 Helpful Apps for Teachers and Educators
• Teacher Recommended: 50 Favorite Classroom Apps
• Podcast: Kathy Schrock: Curation Trends: Finding the Best Teaching Apps, Tools and Resources 
• Top 50 Sites and Apps of 2015

Perhaps you want to start small--focus on one subject area.
Here are some places to begin:

• 10 Good Apps & Sites for Creative Writing Projects
• 5 Good Sites and Apps for Elementary School Language Arts Lessons
• 29 Games Kids Can Play to Try Engineering

You could focus on building your own knowledge base by consistently connecting with other educators by reading a blog or two written by a wide range of educators and experts. Here is a list of Must-Read IT Blogs, compiled by EdTech, The 2015 Honor Roll: EdTech's Must-Read K--12 IT Blogs.

Choose one, or try several, but the key is to be consistent and try it more than one time. And don't forget to have fun with it.

Peggy Steinbronn, Ed.D.